Saturn Occultation Seen for First Time in 22 Years

Vast hillsides have been cleared for the construction of a large-scale solar power facility in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, leaving piles of felled trees scattered across the slopes. The development covers approximately 146 hectares, or the size of 32 Tokyo Domes, and involves cutting down about 365,000 trees to make way for 470,000 solar panels.

A massive tornado-like phenomenon was observed late in the morning of October 2nd off the coast of Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture’s Shonai region, with thick swirling clouds rising high into the sky as seawater was drawn upward.

The Okinawa region experienced record-breaking heat in September, with average temperatures 1.6 degrees Celsius above normal, the highest since records began.

A new study has shed light on the lingering condition known as brain fog, one of the most troubling aftereffects of Covid-19. Researchers at Yokohama City University found that patients experiencing this symptom showed higher levels of a key brain protein compared to healthy individuals, suggesting a potential pathway for future treatment.

Across Japan, water rates are being raised as aging infrastructure and population decline place mounting pressure on municipal waterworks, with a survey by Tokai TV revealing that many operators see no path forward without structural change, prompting new approaches that go beyond conventional frameworks to address what is being called a water crisis.

Saudi Arabia is advancing its national project Vision 2030 to achieve a post-oil society by the end of the decade, with the Riyadh Expo positioned as its grand culmination, and Japan is aiming to secure a foothold in the initiative by providing technologies such as decarbonization systems and expertise in hosting world expos, while also looking to translate this involvement into domestic economic growth.

Ishikawa Prefecture has surpassed Fukui Prefecture in total land area after a significant increase caused by coastal uplift triggered by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, according to the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan.

Japan’s Earthquake Research Committee has revised its assessment of the probability of a massive Nankai Trough earthquake occurring within the next 30 years, raising the range from the previous estimate of about 80 percent to between 60 and 90 percent or higher.